Hilversum, The Netherlands – The Swedish municipality of Mark, renowned for its textile industry, has chosen NEC Philips Unified Solutions (NEC Philips) to provide an advanced unified communications solution that will further propel the municipality into the IT age. Implementation involves an end-to-end unified communications solution based on a centralized UNIVERGE SV7000 IP communication server and seamless integration with Microsoft’s extensive Unified Communication portfolio.

Marks Kommun has a clear vision on unifying communications, which it regards as a crucial ingredient of an attractive place to live and work. Realising the increasing need for people to work and communicate from any place via one single communicator client, and for organisations to develop more effective business processes, Marks Kommun is including IP-technology which will make it possible to use all available communication channels regardless of user’s geographic location. The integration of voice, data, web and video collaboration, combined with rich presence information, secure IM, Text and Unified Messaging will enable Marks Kommun and its employees to be more flexible than ever before.

Marks Kommun were seeking a cost effective solution that offers better services to the public and the flexibility to meet changing public safety demands, all within a fixed budget for 5 years.

The centralized web-based management suite and secure characteristics of the solution were decisive factors for Marks Kommun. Redundant system configuration, optional spatial redundancy and administration free survivable branches support the concept’s’ reliability.

Thanks to application integration and consolidation of operators and contact centres with IP-DECT, Microsoft LCS, Exchange 2007 and Windows Mobile-based functionality, all inhabitants and employees can enjoy full freedom to work and communicate via a single communicator client at any place they wish and via any (mobile) device.

The renewed Marks Kommun communications infrastructure will support voice, data, web and video collaboration, combined with rich presence information, Instant, Text and Unified Messaging, and will offer optimal communications functionality thanks to the integration of operator and contact centre functionality with Microsoft’s Office Communicator clients and Exchange 2007.

Mr. Richard Lindstrom, CIO at Marks Kommun explains, “We are very excited with the opportunities that new technology and application integrations can bring. We have been very pleased with the partnership between Microsoft and NEC Philips. “

“They share our vision and are fully supportive in a joint approach to help achieving our goals and objectives. The first phase of the implementation has commenced with a trial site in 2006, while full rollout will continue in 2007”, Lindstrom continues.

“NEC Philips Unified Solutions has an excellent reputation in the Swedish market, and we are pleased this has been confirmed once again by the choice of Marks Kommun, a very ambitious and progressive municipality” said Erik Abele, General Manager of NEC Philips Unified Solutions in Sweden.

“We are convinced we are taking the right steps with this innovative and powerful unified communications concept and are sure it will make Marks Kommun an even more desirable place to live and work”, Mr. Lindstrom of Mark concludes.